Currently, many existing vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have only one compressor driven by the engine of the vehicle. These HVAC systems cannot be operated and thus cannot provide a comfortable environment for drivers and passengers when the engine of the vehicle is off. In response to the needs of the transportation industry and the regulations governing the amount of time that a driver may spend behind the wheel, it is very desirable to have an HVAC system with multiple compressors connected to different power sources, for example, one powered by the engine and one powered by an electric source. Such an HVAC system can provide a comfortable environment for drivers and passengers when the engine of the vehicle is on as well as when it is off.
Integrating an electrically driven system into the existing engine driven system addresses some of these issues, but raises others. For example, many of the components of an existing engine driven HVAC system are located within the engine compartment, and, therefore, integration of an additional compressor into the existing vehicle HVAC system is difficult as there is limited space within an engine compartment for an additional compressor.
Given the above, there is a need in the art for a combined engine/electrically driven HVAC system that addresses the abovementioned issues.
The information disclosed in this Background section is provided for an understanding of the general background of the invention and is not an acknowledgement or suggestion that this information forms part of the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.